The fire claimed more than 80 lives

A Beckenham man has denied pretending his family died in the Grenfell Tower fire to get almost £10,000 from the victim relief fund.

Anh Nhu Nguyen entered pleas of not guilty on two counts of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday.

The 52-year-old claimed he lived in the North Kensington block and that his wife and son had died in the blaze, a previous court hearing was told.

Nguyen, of Beckenham Road, is accused of conning charities and Kensington and Chelsea Council out of almost £10,000 by posing as a victim of the disaster for almost two weeks.

He was allegedly given a hotel room, clothing, food, electrical items and cash after he went to Westway Sports Centre, which had been set up as a relief hub, claiming to have lost all his possessions, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard last month.

Nguyen was remanded in custody and his trial is expected to take place at Southwark Crown Court in the week beginning December 4.

More than 80 people were killed in the blaze which devastated the 24-storey building on June 14, leaving scores of others homeless.